What’s Next for Adrien Broner?
Photo by Stephanie Trapp
After falling out with his mentor, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., with two warrants for his arrest looming, and then being stripped of his junior welterweight title; Adrien Broner remarkably found a way to focus in what was supposed to be his first title defense.
On April 1, Broner defeated Mayweather Promotions’ British import, Ashley Theophane, via a ninth-round stoppage in front of a sold-out crowd at the DC Armory in Washington, DC.
Theophane was still in contention for the now vacant WBA Junior Welterweight title, which was stripped from Broner on Thursday, after his refusal to lose .4 pounds during the weigh in (a move which also cost Broner $50,000).
Broner’s superior hand speed, power punching and early work to the body, all began to take a toll on Theophane down the stretch of their fight, prompting referee Luis Pabon to wave off the fight at the 1:10 mark in Round 9.
Much to the chagrin of those in attendance, who vocally expressed their disagreement with the stoppage; Theophane was visibly hurt and had yet to regain his footing when Pabon intervened.
So what’s next for Adrien Broner?
Broner’s outstanding warrants are at the top of his to-do list next week. He was able to wrangle an amended warrant, which allowed him to fight on Friday night, however, it came with the stipulation that he had to turn himself in on Monday, April 4.
With one warrant for felony assault and the other for aggravated robbery, both in his native state of Ohio, Broner could face jail time.
In an incident stemming from a bet at a bowling alley in the wee hours of January 21, Broner stands accused of assaulting and robbing a man at gunpoint after losing a $12,000 bet.
If Broner is convicted, this could be a serious impediment to his career. However, Broner implied in his post-fight interview that if he is able to avoid imprisonment, he is looking to face his former mentor, Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
Broner, clearly bothered by Mayweather’s commentary in an interview leading up to the fight with Theophane, took an opportunity during his post-fight interview to address Mayweather.
[otw_shortcode_quote border=”bordered” border_style=”bordered”]
I’m a man, but at the end of the day, somebody that I look up to, someone that I admire took the chance to do and interview and talk bad about me. I’m a man – Floyd has got to see me. I come from nothing. I’m talking about water and Cornflakes. And I would never let a man disrespect me like that. So you gotta see me. I don’t care if we’re sparring or if we’re fighting, let’s get it on.
–Adrien Broner[/otw_shortcode_quote]
During Broner’s post-fight monologue, the now retired Mayweather could be seen smiling and clapping as Broner addressed him. It’s highly doubtful that Mayweather would come out of retirement, based on his own statements on the matter, including possible bouts with other fighters.
Throughout boxing history, however, we have seen several fighters declare retirement, only to come back for the right opponent, or even the right purse.
Will Floyd Mayweather answer Adrien Broner’s challenge? Only time will tell, but one thing we do know is that Broner is done fighting at Junior Welterweight.
When questioned about the .4 pounds that cost him his title, Broner replied that he “will not be fighting at 140 again.”
“Listen,” Broner declared, “I’m a four-time champion in four-weight classes. We won that belt already, we on to the next one.”
Even if Mayweather refuses to answer Broner’s challenge, there are attractive matchups at Welterweight for Broner that will interest boxing fans.
Possible fights with Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, Kell Brook, and Amir Kahn would definitely be attractive fights for the Ohio native.
The only thing standing between him and the next step in his career are the serious matters of his legal situation.
